Arrangement in hatch structure

ABSTRACT

The object of the invention is an arrangement in hatch structure ( 1 ) to be installed in a vehicle body ( 2 ). The arrangement comprises a hatch, the edges of which are bent downwards, which hatch is mainly horizontal when in the closed position, an opening ( 6 ) in the vehicle body ( 2 ), which opening ( 6 ) is smaller than the said hatch, a packing ( 4 ) for sealing the hatch and the opening ( 6 ) in relation to each other when the hatch is closed, and a hatch operating mechanism that incorporates at least one body part ( 7 ), which has sliding faces ( 8, 18 ) for a slide ( 9 ) on which the slide ( 9 ) rests, a lever ( 11 ) that is connected to the slide ( 9 ) by means of a first joint ( 12 ) and is supported near the edge of the opening ( 6 ) in the vehicle body ( 2 ) by means of a second joint ( 13 ), and a compression spring ( 10 ) located in the slide bed, which compression spring constantly exerts force on the slide ( 9 ) so as to push it. The said body part ( 7 ) is supported on the lower surface of the hatch and the compression spring ( 10 ) presses the slide ( 9 ) towards the edge of the hatch that is at the location of the said body part ( 7 ).

This application is the US national phase of international applicationPCT/FI02/00248 filed Mar. 22, 2002 which designated the U.S.

The invention relates to an arrangement in a hatch structure which isadapted to be installed in a vehicle body for roof hatches, particularlyof coaches and the like, which roof hatches are used especially toassist ventilation.

From publication DE 1 240 424 is known a widely-used roof hatch, theoperating mechanism of which is, however, prone to break if the hatch isstruck on route by a branch or other object. Hatch structures asdescribed in publications GB 1 397 251 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,334 havevery many large parts, as a result of which their structures are ratherexpensive to manufacture. The structure described in publication GB 1350 844 requires fairly many joints and levers, which are very expensiveand time-consuming to manufacture from metal and install as articulatedstructures. From publication U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,917 is known a hatchstructure, whose locking arrangement is based on the locking effect of aball pushed into a socket by means of spring power, the operation ofwhich is to some extent uncertain unless the hatch position is carefullylocked every time the hatch is operated.

The object of the invention is to present a hatch structure that ischeap to manufacture and easy to install in an opening arranged in thebody of a vehicle. A particular object of the invention is to present aroof hatch, with a structure that is mechanically durable, should abranch or other object that comes into contact with the hatch be locatedin the line of travel. One object of the invention is also to present ahatch structure that can be used for servicing and as an emergency exit.It is clear that the hatch should be easy to operate since the personoperating the hatch is often operating it for the first time. One objectof the invention is that the parts of the operating mechanism are mainlyof plastic for reasons of both corrosion resistance and issues relatingto manufacture.

The object of the invention is achieved through an arrangement describedin the characterising part of claim 1. An arrangement concerning a hatchstructure to be installed in the body of a vehicle comprises a hatchwith edges that are bent downwards, which hatch when in the closedposition is mainly horizontal, an opening smaller than the said hatch inthe body of a vehicle, packing for sealing the hatch and opening inrelation to one another when the hatch is closed, and a hatch operatingmechanism. The latter comprises at least one body part, whichincorporates the sliding faces of a slide that are parallel to thevehicle's longitudinal axis and support the slide, a lever connected tothe slide by means of a first joint and supported via another joint at apoint close to the edge of the opening in the vehicle's body, and acompression spring in the slide bed that constantly exerts force on theslide in such a manner as to push it. If the said body part is supportedon the lower surface of the hatch and if the compression spring pressesthe slide towards the edge of the hatch that is at the location of thesaid body part, an arrangement incorporating a structure of this kindprovides a system that it is very small in size with only a fewstructural parts. This kind of structure is also highly durable,provided that the material chosen is a plastic that is strong anddurable.

If the said first joint is positioned eccentrically to the slidingfaces, and if the length of the lever is selected so that the so-calleddead centre of the mechanism is near half way between the closedposition and the open position of the hatch, the said compression springholds the hatch reliably in the extreme position in which it has beenleft, that is open or closed.

If there is a stop arrangement in connection with the first joint withthe aid of which arrangement the said lever limits the movement of theslide so that the slide is prevented from coming out of the slidingfaces of the body part, the stop arrangement prevents the spring frompushing the slide too far in the slide bed. This also makes the hatchmore stable when the hatch is in the open position.

If the opening in the body of the vehicle has a front edge and a rearedge that are transverse to the driving direction, and both edges haveat least two support points for the operating mechanism, the mounting ofthe hatch structure on the said opening is very simple and easy.

If the said support points are located at a distance of 25 cm-90 cm,preferably 35 cm-60 cm from each other on the same edge, the hatchmounting will be sufficiently strong and stable.

If means for operating the hatch have been arranged under the lowersurface of the hatch, by which means the front edge and correspondinglythe rear edge of the hatch in relation to the driving direction can beopened and correspondingly closed mainly by pushing upwards orcorrespondingly mainly by pulling downwards on the operating means, itis easy for the vehicle personnel or passengers to operate the hatchstructure according to the arrangement when opening or closing thehatch.

If by pushing or correspondingly pulling on the said operating means, itis possible to choose whether the front edge of the hatch orcorrespondingly the rear edge of the hatch in the driving direction isin the open position, the operator can choose the desired position in asimple manner.

If the operating means is rod-like and the operating means is positionedmainly horizontally close to the operating mechanisms on the same sideof the hatch, it is possible to get a strong grip of the operatingmeans, because the operation of the hatch however does require a certainamount of power.

If the rod-like operating means are located at both the front edge andthe rear edge of the hatch in relation to the driving direction, theoperator is able to choose the position of the hatch.

If no part of the operating means is closer than 5 cm to the edge of theopening in the vehicle's body, the arrangement is very safe to operate,provided that the operator holds on to the operating means, and thusthere is no risk that the operator's hand could in any way be caught andcrushed in the hatch structure.

If at least the major part of the hatch structure is of plastic,problems relating to corrosion are avoided and the parts need not becoated, since the colour of the object is determined according to thechosen raw material.

In the following, the invention is described in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawing, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an arrangement according to the inventionin a hatch structure in the body of a vehicle, seen from the drivingdirection when the hatch is in the open position,

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the arrangement accordingto FIG. 1 close to one edge of the hatch, in the direction A—A, when thehatch is closed,

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the arrangement according to FIG. 2, whenthe hatch is in the so-called dead centre, i.e. half open,

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the arrangement according to FIG. 2, whenthe hatch is in the open position,

FIG. 5 is a schematic magnified view of section B of FIG. 1 and

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the arrangement according to the inventionwhen the hatch has been turned to the emergency exit position.

The reference number 1 in FIG. 1 in the drawing refers to the roof hatcharrangement in the open position as seen from the vehicle's drivingdirection. The roof structure 2 of the vehicle has an opening that issmaller than the lid 3 of the roof hatch, which lid, when the hatch isclosed, covers the packing 4. The lid 3 and the roof structure of thevehicle are connected by the operating mechanism 5.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the arrangement according to FIG. 1in the direction A—A, but the lid 3 of the roof hatch is in the closedposition. The lower surface of the edge of the lid 3 is against apacking 4 that has been attached to the upper surface of the roofstructure 2 near the edges of the opening 6. A body part 7 is supportedagainst the lower surface of the lid 3 and incorporates sliding faces 8,18 for a slide 9. Since there are two sliding faces 8, 18, at somedistance from each other, the structure is strong and durable and willnot break very easily. Inside the body part 7 is a compression spring10, which is supported at one end on the body part 7 while the other endpushes the slide 9. A lever 11 is attached to the slide 9 by means of ajoint 12 and the other end is mounted by means of a joint 13 on asupport bracket 14 near the edge of the opening 6. The hatch can beopened 90° upwards when it is in the position according to FIG. 2,provided that the mechanisms of the hatch end are released from thejoint 13, whereby the mechanisms at the other end of the hatch functionas a hinge rotating correspondingly around point 13, first approximately135°, whereby the lever 11 reaches the position shown in FIG. 4, andthen turning around point 12 as its centre point, about 90° or somewhatmore upwards, without opening the hatch mechanisms. In this way the roofhatch can be used for servicing and as an emergency exit hatch inaccordance with the American standard.

In FIG. 3, the lid 3 of the roof hatch is in the half-open position. Theslide 9 has pressed the compression spring 10 so that it is short due toeffect of lever 6. Reference number 15 refers to the operating meansused by the operator to close or open the hatch.

In FIG. 4 the lid 3 of the roof hatch is in its uppermost position. Inrainy weather, especially when the vehicle is halted, water runs downfrom the bent edge 16 and therefore the lid 3 and its bent edge 16 covera clearly larger area around the opening 6 than the area bordered by thepacking 4. A stop arrangement 17 has been formed in connection with thejoint 12 at the lower end of the lever 11 and the slide 9, so that theside face of the lever 11 is supported against a counter-surfacearranged near the joint 12 at the lower end of the slide 9. This stoparrangement prevents the slide 9 from moving too far along the slidingfaces of the body part 7. Hereby the movement of the lid 3 is alsolimited accurately. An additional advantage is that when the operatorpulls down on the operating means 15, the lid 3 of the hatch starts tomove downwards, because the lever 11 starts to turn downwards guided bya joint 13. If the hatch is open and the lid 3 or its bent edge 16 hits,for example, a branch, a bill board or the like object, located in theline of travel, the lid 3 starts to move downwards as the lever 11starts to turn downwards, supported by the joint 13. Unless the impactis very sudden, it is possible that the roof hatch arrangement 1 remainsintact and will merely be closed by the force of the impact. It shouldbe noted that the user may choose whether he/she wants to keep the hatchtotally closed, opened at both ends, or open only at one end. Here thechosen position is of great significance for the flow of air caused bythe hatch while driving or correspondingly when the vehicle is halted.

FIG. 5 is a magnified view of section B of FIG. 1. In conventional hatchstructures, the width of the body part 7 may be in the range of 5 cm-10cm. This allows the slide 9 and the joint 11 to be sufficiently wide sothat they can be made solid enough to keep the hatch structure stableeven when the vehicle is driving at high speed.

FIG. 6 shows the arrangement, when the hatch has been turned to theemergency exit position, when the hatch is so wide open that theoperating mechanism is at least almost completely away from the opening6 in the vehicle. Therefore emergency exit is possible without anyhindrance caused by the hatch in accident situations or the like. It isto be noted that the mechanism and the hatch have been dimensioned sothat the bent edge 16 of the hatch is supported on the vehicle body'ssurface at some a distance from the opening 6. In this way, the edge 16also functions as the opening limiter of the hatch, and at the same timethe structure is strong, since stress from the weight of the hatchitself, potential wind load and possibly stress from opening the hatchsuddenly is not exerted on the mechanism alone, but the limiter takessome of the stress. It is to be noted that the hatch can be closed afteropening it for emergency exit. Because considerable stress is oftenexerted on the hatch and the parts of its operating mechanism, it isnecessary to dimension the parts to be sufficiently strong and durable.It is recommended that clevis pins or the like manufactured fromstainless steel be used as axles for the joints.

The structure according to the invention may be manufactured for themost part from plastic by injection moulding. This avoids problemsrelating to corrosion and the parts do not need to be coated, becausethe colour of a part is determined by material choice. The parts can bemanufactured to very accurate dimensions and manufacture even of complexshapes is not difficult. Also, freer design of visible parts ispossible, if the parts are manufactured by injection moulding, which isalso a very fast method of manufacture suitable for mass production.Conventional methods of fastening for example with screws or rivets arenot described here, since it is part of the known prior art.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, butseveral variations are conceivable within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. An arrangement in a hatch structure for installation in a vehiclebody comprising: a hatch having downwardly bent edges and being disposedsubstantially horizontally when in a closed position, an opening in thevehicle body which is smaller in size than said hatch, a packing forsealing the hatch and the opening in relation to one another when thehatch is in the closed position thereof, and a hatch operating mechanismto allow for movements of the hatch between said closed position whereinthe hatch and the opening are sealed in relation to one another and anopen position wherein the hatch is in spaced relation to the hatch,wherein said hatch operating mechanism comprises: at least one body partfixed to a lower surface of the hatch so as to be within said openingwhen said hatch is in said closed position thereof, said at least onebody part including slide faces which are oriented in a directionrelative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a slide operativelyconnected to the slide laces of said at least one body part so as to beslideable between an advanced position close to a respective hatch edgeadjacent said at least one body part, and a retracted position which isspaced inwardly from said respective edge, a lever having one end thatis connected to the slide by means of a first joint and an opposite endthat is connected near the edge of the opening in the vehicle body bymeans of a second joint, and a compression spring operatively associatedwith the at least one body part so as to constantly exert a force on theslide in a direction so as to push said slide into said advancedposition thereof.
 2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein saidlever is connected to said at least one body part by means of said firstjoint so as to be positioned eccentrically relative to the sliding facesof the the at least one body part, and wherein the lever has a lengthsuch that dead centre of the hatch operating mechanism is about half-waybetween the closed and open positions of the hatch.
 3. An arrangementaccording to claim 2, wherein the first joint includes a stoparrangement which contacts said lever to thereby limit the movement ofthe slide to prevent disconnection of the slide from the sliding facesof the at least one body part.
 4. An arrangement according to claim 3,wherein the opening in the vehicle body includes a front and rear edgestransverse to driving direction of the vehicle, wherein each of saidfront and rear edges have at least two support points for the hatchoperating mechanism.
 5. An arrangement according to claim 4, whereinsaid support points are spaced apart from one another along a respectiveone of said front and rear edges by a dimension between 25 cm-90 cm. 6.An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a respective hatchoperating handle located under a lower surface of the hatch adjacentfront and rear edges of the hatch in relation to the vehicle's drivingdirection to thereby allow the hatch at said front and rear edgesthereof to be moved between said opened and closed positions by means ofan operator manually lifting up or pulling down on a respective one ofthe hatch operating handles.
 7. An arrangement according to claim 6,wherein said hatch operating handles at said front and rear edges ofsaid hatch are independently operable so that that by means of anoperator manually lifting or pulling down a respective one of said hatchoperating handles, it is possible to selectively open and close one ofthe front and rear edges of the hatch.
 8. An arrangement according toclaim 7, wherein the operating handles are rod elements which arepositioned substantially horizontally close to a respective hatchoperating mechanism at the front and rear edges of the hatch.
 9. Anarrangement according to claim 1, wherein the hatch operating mechanismfurther comprises hatch operating rods located both front and rear edgesof the hatch relative to the vehicle's driving direction.
 10. Anarrangement according to claim 9, wherein the hatch operating rods arepositioned no closer than 5 cm to an edge of the opening in the vehiclebody.
 11. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least a majorpart of the hatch operating mechanism is formed of a plastics material.12. A hatch arrangement for a vehicle body, comprising: a supportbracket defining an opening; a hatch lid sized to cover the opening ofthe support bracket; and a hatch operating assembly for allowing thehatch lid to be moved between a closed position wherein the hatch lidcloses the opening, an intermediate position wherein the hatch lid ispartially spaced with respect to the opening, and an opened positionwherein the hatch lid is fully spaced with respect to the opening,wherein said hatch operating assembly comprises; (i) at least one bodypart fixed to a lower surface of the hatch lid and defining a slidesurface; (ii) a slide member coupled to the slide surface of the atleast one body part for sliding movements between an advanced positionwherein the slide member is adjacent the support bracket, and aretracted position wherein the slide member is retracted inwardly awayfrom said support bracket; (iii) a lever having opposed ends coupledpivotally to the slide member and the support bracket; and (iv) a springmember which exerts a spring force acting against the slide member so asto urge the slide member into said advanced position thereof, whereininitial movement of said hatch lid to said intermediate position fromone of said closed or opened positions responsively causes said slidemember to move from said advanced position and into said retractedposition against the spring force of said spring member such thatcontinued further movement of said hatch lid from said intermediateposition and into another one of said closed or opened positions therebyresponsively causes said slide member to move from said retractedposition and into said advanced position under influence of the springforce of said spring member.
 13. The hatch arrangement of claim 12,wherein said hatch lid has downwardly bent edges.
 14. The hatcharrangement of claim 12, wherein the support bracket includes a packingseal to seal the opening when the hatch lid is in said closed positionthereof.
 15. The hatch arrangement of claim 12, wherein a respectivesaid hatch operating assembly is provided at forward and rearward edgesof said support bracket relative to a vehicle's driving direction, eachsaid hatch operating assembly being independent operable so that one orboth of respective front and rear edges of the hatch lid is capable ofbeing moved between said closed and opened positions thereof.
 16. Thehatch arrangement of claim 12, comprising an operator handle whichallows an operator to manually push and pull the hatch lid toresponsively move the hatch lid into its opened and closed positions,respectively.